Overview

Autofocus lens for macro photography up to life-size (1x) magnification. Inner focusing affords a long working distance of 5.9in. (149mm) at 1x. A 3-group floating system results in excellent delineation at all focusing distances. Ring USM for silent and high-speed AF, and full-time manual focusing also provided.

great lens
I use this lens for high school sports and macro and I'm very pleased with its results great boke and super sharp.
April 4, 2013

Excellent lens: here are some suggestions:
The short take: I have gotten outstanding macro photographs of subjects like insects and plants using this lens. Here are tips on what has worked for me:
For macro work, I ALWAYS set the lens to manual focus, because the autofocus mechanism just cannot "find" extremely small subjects.
As other reviewers have noted, you will need a tripod for macro work.
For extreme close-ups or for telephoto work--at least in my opinion--megapixels matter. I traded in my Canon XSi 12 mp camera body for an 18 mp T2i. The increased megapixels allow me to crop macro images without loss of detail. I love the results!
I ALWAYS use the optical viewfinder for composing shots. The only time I use the LCD is to check the exposure and the sharpness on images I have already taken. Perhaps other users are more adept, but I find that I can determine neither accuracy of focus nor depth of field using the LCD alone.
Because of this focus problem, I initially hated my Canon outfit (after first making the transition from film to digital). But then I purchased a third-party focusing screen equipped with split-image rangefinder and microprism collar--just like my old film camera used to have. Now, using the optical viewfinder, I get nice, crisp results. I love it!
The outfit (T2i + macro lens) is a little heavy. The lens weighs 20.5 oz. When I am out in the field, I use a harness instead of a neckstrap, to eliminate the stress to my neck.
I have been using my EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro for three years now, and I strongly recommend it. I also find that Canon hardware and software is pretty intuitive, and that it lets me do what I want to do.
July 18, 2012

One of my favorite lenses
I've owned this lens for about three months now and it quickly became one of my favorite lenses. Shooting in macro has always been one of my favorite styles but I always had to make due with my standard zoom. This lens makes it so easy to create a perfect shot. When shooting in macro, I found it easier to use the manual focus because with such a narrow depth of field, many times it did not find the point I wanted it to focus on. However, It works great if youre shooting portraits. It being a f 2.8, it's shoots well in low light conditions and the motor is nice and quiet. Overall. I'm very pleased
May 16, 2012

Incredible
The images that are produced with the lens are incredible. Unbelievably sharp. Not only is it an incredible macro lens but a wonderful portrait lens as well. (its so sharp, you may want to kick it back a bit in post production for the portraits.) some people complain about the slow autofocus, that is a normal characteristic of a macro lens. As for image stabilization,, when shooting macro its a non issue, put this lens on a tripod and you have all the stabilization you could ever need. I just picked up an extra one of these lenses as I am scared that the new IS 100mm 2.8 will replace this incrdible lens. You can check any review site around and they will all tell you that this is one of the best lenses around PERIOD.....
March 21, 2012